Standards Correlations

R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.7, W.3, SL.1, SL.2, L.4, L.6

Learning Objective

As students read an adaptation of a classic horror story, they will make inferences about the plot and characters.

Key Skills

inference, text features, vocabulary, understanding genre, character, character’s motivation, plot,  critical thinking, making a prediction, narrative writing

Complexity Factors

Levels of Meaning: The play explores the concepts of good and evil.

 

Structure: The play is chronological and has six scenes.

 

Language: The play includes some figurative language.

 

Knowledge Demands: Some familiarity with city life in the late 1800s may help comprehension but is not required.

Levels

Guided Reading Level: T 

DRA Level: 50

SEL Connection

 This play and lesson plan promote responsible decision making and self-awareness skills.

Lesson Plan: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Essential Questions

  • Do all people have both good and evil in them? 
  • What responsibility do we have when developing new technology? 

Literature Connection

  • Novel: Jaclyn Hyde by Annabeth Bondor-Stone and Connor White
  • Novel: Jekyll and Heidi by R.L. Stine 

1. Preparing to Read 

Respond to a Prompt (10 minutes)

Before reading the play, ask students, “What would you do if a friend asked for your help with something you believed was wrong?” Have students consider which would be more important to them, the friendship or their own sense of right and wrong. Discuss what factors students would consider when making their choice. Tell students that Mr. Utterson, a character in the play, faces a similar problem.

Preview Text Features (10 minutes)

Guide students to locate the play in their magazines or online. Then preview the text features using the following prompts:

  • Take a close look at the main illustration showing a man standing under a street lamp. Describe what you see in the image and explain what you think might be happening. Based on the image, what mood or feeling do you think the story will have? Sample answer: In the image, there is a man standing under a street lamp on a dark night. His shadow is cast onto a nearby building, and it looks much bigger than the man himself. The man’s face looks serious, but his shadow has an evil grin, making it seem like it’s up to something bad. The scene suggests that the story will have a mysterious and creepy mood. 
  • The play is based on a horror story by Robert Louis Stevenson. Look at his image included at the end of the play and read its caption (“Meet the Author”). What book is Stevenson known for writing? Knowing that Stevenson has written an adventure story, what qualities do you think this horror story might have? Stevenson is known for writing the novel Treasure Island. As an adventure writer, he might make his horror story especially full of excitement, action, and suspense.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Point out the vocabulary box. Read the words (trampled, clients, will, witness, morality) aloud and discuss their definitions.
  • Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan:

  • Set a purpose for reading by telling students they’ll make inferences while reading the play “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” Explain that making an inference means using clues from the text to figure out something that isn’t stated directly. 
  • Point out the activity at the end of the play. Tell students they will complete it after reading.

2. Reading and Unpacking the Text

  • Assign roles to students and read the play aloud as a class. Stop after each scene and ask students to summarize what happened. 
  • After reading, discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)

  • What do you learn about Mr. Hyde’s character in Scenes 1 and 2? (character) In Scene 1, Enfield describes a strange event where Mr. Hyde trampled a child. This shows that Hyde doesn't care about hurting others. In Scene 2, when Utterson meets Hyde and tries to talk, Hyde gives an evil laugh and slams the door on Utterson. This suggests that Hyde is creepy and rude.
  • Why did Dr. Jekyll create Mr. Hyde? Use evidence from Scene 3 to support your answer. (character’s motivation) Dr. Jekyll created Mr. Hyde because he was curious about the idea of separating the good side of a person from the evil side. In Scene 3, during the dinner party, he suggests that it might be possible to “release the evil so that you could be only good.” 
  • In Scene 6, how does Utterson learn the truth about Mr. Hyde? (plot) Dr. Jekyll has left a note explaining the purpose of his experiment and describing how it went wrong. After he turns into Mr. Hyde and runs off, Utterson reads the note.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

  • Do you think all people have good and evil in them? (critical thinking) Answers will vary. Some students might say yes, because everyone has urges to do both kind and unkind things. Others might say no, because while everyone might sometimes behave in ways that are unkind or self-serving, not every thought or action that isn’t kind can be described as evil. 
  • The play ends with Mr. Hyde escaping from the laboratory and locking Poole and Utterson inside. What do you think would happen next if the story continued? (making a prediction) Answers will vary.

3. Skill Building and Writing

Learn Anywhere Activity

An enrichment activity to extend the learning journey at home or in the classroom

Project the task below on your whiteboard or share it with students in your LMS.

Create Your Own Alter Ego

Take a look at the play’s sidebar labeled “Double Life.” It explains that an alter ego is another self.  What if you had the ability to turn into a different person? Consider these questions:

  • What are a few qualities that you have? Do you tend to be very quiet? Are you athletic and full of energy? Are you a creative person who draws, makes jewelry, or writes music?
  •  What are some qualities that you don’t have? Do you wish you could run really fast or speak many languages? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be really, really tall or completely fearless?

Imagine an alter ego for yourself. Give this other self at least two qualities that make them different from you. Give your alter ego a name, and write a paragraph to describe them. Draw a picture of yourself and a picture of your alter ego, including details that show how the two of you are different.

Language-Acquisition Springboard

Practice using stage directions to boost fluency.

Before reading the play, discuss the purpose of stage directions. Explain that they give an actor information about how a line should be spoken.

Tell students that people’s feelings or circumstances can affect the way they speak. Demonstrate this idea by asking students to try saying the phrase “It just started snowing” in each of the following ways:

  • sadly, as if the snow is ruining their plans
  • excitedly, as if they can hardly wait to go out and enjoy the snow
  • with surprise, as if it’s the middle of summer
  • with annoyance, as if they’ve had to shovel snow every day and will soon have to do it again
  • in a whisper, as if they don’t want their little sister to find out

Now have students say the following lines from the play, paying special attention to the stage directions:

  • HAWKINS (shivering ): Yes. I knew it was Mr. Hyde. I had seen him before. You don’t forget a face like that.
  • ENFIELD (gently): He seems to want to be left alone.
  • JEKYLL (in a strange voice): Tell him I cannot see anyone!
  • POOLE (whispering): That is not Dr. Jekyll’s voice. 

Looking for more ELL support? Download our full lesson plan and scroll to p. 5 to find questions that will help your ELLs respond to the text at the level that’s right for them.

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